Youth Participate problems and solutions II.

Youth Participate: Problems and Solutions II.

Educating young people in youth participation using digital storytelling

In spring 2021, during lockdowns, we piloted youth participation education online, You(TH) Participate! We would like to present its results and outputs

Below you will find the second part of the problems faced by young people in the Košice region, identified by the young participants themselves along with the solutions they propose. When describing the identified data, we retain the language and phrasing of young people, which may not correspond to professional terms. We do this to preserve the perspective of young people:

Problem 3: Lack of public drinking water sources

Potential consequences of solving the problem: By increasing the number of drinking water sources: We will reduce plastic consumption, specifically plastic bottles; We will contribute to environmental protection; We will prevent dehydration, especially among homeless people.
Solutions: Participants are willing to contribute to solutions by raising awareness of the problem and the need for its resolution among peers and the public.
Participants perceive that authorities or important adults can help them by building drinking water sources in the city and making existing sources functional.

Problem 4: Poor environmental improvement:

Under this category, young participants perceive:

A/ Lack of benches – their placement too close to each other.

B/ Insufficient lighting at public transport/bus stops.

C/ Absence of public gardens.

Consequences of solving the problem: A more beautiful, cozier, and improved city; A greater sense of safety and prevention of violence at stops; More tourists and visitors; Greater socialization of citizens in public spaces.

Solutions: Participants are willing to contribute to solutions through volunteer work, especially in decorating and beautifying the surroundings. They can provide ideas on how to improve their surroundings and are happy to get involved in the implementation. This activity can take various forms: painting fences, painting walls or street art, caring for flowers and gardens. Participants perceive that from authorities or important adults, they need expert guidance and the creation of opportunities.

Problem 5: Lack of cycling paths

Consequences of not solving this problem: A large number of cyclists on roads, concerned pedestrians in pedestrian zones,
Possible positive outcomes of solving the problem: Greater safety for cyclists and pedestrians; Increased tourism, support for an active lifestyle and mobility of people – health aspect; Strengthening environmental protection – more people traveling by bicycle means fewer cars on the roads – ecological aspect.
Solutions: Participants are willing to contribute to solutions by motivating their peers to use built cycling paths. They are also happy to take the initiative in spreading information about the need for cycling path construction among the public. According to participants, many projects for cycling path construction have already been developed in Košice. From important adults, they would welcome the implementation of these projects, or guidance on how they, as young people, can contribute to them.